


Next Steps

by rhoen



Series: Uchiha Week 2018 [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cooking, Dinner, Established Relationship, M/M, Protective Uchiha Sasuke, Relationship Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 23:58:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13535316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhoen/pseuds/rhoen
Summary: Shisui and Itachi feel ready to tell Sasuke about their relationship.





	Next Steps

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to snowyfoxtales on tumblr for the suggested prompt, which was: "little brothers and sasuke reacting to them? shisui learning how to make a tomato dish for sauce?". Free days are my Achilles heel.
> 
> I wasn't sure I'd get this done - it's nearly 8pm here now, but I've made it! Thanks to my beta Kali for helping with the usual details.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Shisui can’t help worrying, looking up from the tomatoes he’s carefully chopping. Skilled with every blade known to man, there’s no need to be cautious, but he wants to get this right. It’s important to him; it’s important to  _ them _ .

Itachi’s hand alights on Shisui’s hip, and he leans in to press a fleeting kiss to Shisui’s cheek. “It will be fine. Don’t worry.”

Shisui watches Itachi, hoping the other young man is telling the truth.

“He’s smart. He already suspects something. It’s time to make it a little more… official,” Itachi continues, reaching over to steal some of the ingredients waiting to be mixed into the salad.

Shisui doesn’t bother to chide him, knowing Itachi is only doing it to be close to him as he cooks. He likes the easy domesticity, the rhythm they’ve found in the last six months of being together. He knows Itachi’s right. It’s time to come out about their relationship, and Sasuke is the best person to do that to. Well, Shisui hopes he is. He’s starting to have doubts.

“He won’t, I don’t know, eviscerate me? Have me arrested and imprisoned for life for violating his precious older brother?”

Itachi gives a smirk, the expression far more confident than Shisui had ever hoped it could be. He’d always thought there would be a shyness and hesitance to Itachi that would linger, but time spent alone, learning each other and how they loved and fit into each other’s lives washed away that concern. Although still a stranger to openly expressing his emotions, Itachi is learning to do it around Shisui, and Shisui is learning the same in return.

“Well, you’re not the only one who has done the violating,” Itachi murmurs, the whisper sinful against Shisui’s ear.

He knows Itachi is testing him. Determined not to fuck the evening up, Shisui does his utmost to ignore Itachi and the closeness of his very, very tempting body. He has a dinner to prepare. It wouldn’t do well for Sasuke to discover them mid-coitus, although, when the occasion calls for it, Shisui can be very swift and thorough. He and Itachi are ninja, after all. A five minute or so distraction to relieve the tension might be a good idea.

No, he reminds himself, hearing Itachi’s amused chuckle as he restrains himself and turns back to the task at hand. He’s going to do this properly. He’s going to be the perfect gentleman, cook dinner for Sasuke, entertain him as a guest, and pray to any gods that might be listening that he’ll survive this night, and subsequent days, intact. The plan is to tell Sasuke about their relationship and then, if he survives that, tell Fugaku and Mikoto. The second step is too intimidating for Shisui to consider right now, so he pushes it aside. One thing at a time.

“I’ll go check the table is laid out,” Itachi says, drifting from Shisui’s side with a parting kiss. Shisui is sorry to see him go, taking with him a little of Shisui’s steadiness and calm, but he knows this evening is important to them both. The table is fine, but it soothes Itachi to double check, and to no doubt shift things my a millimetre or two.

It was never their intention to keep their relationship secret, but it just sort of happened that way. After that first kiss they both kept their thoughts and feelings to themselves, seeing no reason to share with anyone else. Shisui  _ had _ no one else to tell, save his team mates, and he didn’t think it was prudent to reveal to them just how intimate his relationship with the Uchiha heir was, and how much more intimate he hoped it would become. Itachi had more of a reason to be careful, and still has. The clan have hopes of him marrying well, and having a prosperous family of his own. Ending up with another man was never a possibility in anyone else’s mind.

Shisui’s still not sure how this will all end, although he knows their hearts are set. They wouldn’t be doing this if it were a mere fling. Enough time has passed for them to know what they truly want, and it’s not in Shisui’s nature, nor Itachi’s, to devote anything less than his entire self to what he does.

And he does Itachi. Often.

Shisui can’t help smiling to himself at that thought, his heart soaring and feeling thoroughly pleased with where he is in life. He stirs the food, for a moment completely sure everything will work out. Sasuke will take the news well, and be on their side, and Fugaku and Mikoto will be happy to forego tradition to see their eldest son happy, leaving Shisui and Itachi to live out the rest of their lives together in peace and happiness. Everything will be okay.

That, of course, isn’t a guarantee, and Itachi is nervous too. They’re both aware of how much can change with their coming out. If Sasuke, Itachi’s parents, or the clan don’t take it well they could be forced apart. It would break Shisui’s heart. He doesn’t think he could take it.

But that’s a worry for later. For now, he shifts the pan from the heat so as to avoid burning the food, and pulls Itachi to him and gives him a gentle kiss. “Is it ready?”

Itachi nods, fitting himself in Shisui’s arms. “And the food?”

“Just needs to be served up.”

“He’ll be here in a minute.”

Shisui nods, not wanting to look at the clock. He can feel Itachi’s apprehension. Usually he can steady himself, and be the source of strength Itachi needs, but it’s a little harder today.

When they kiss, he doesn’t think about taking it any further than the reassuring touch they share. He’s careful of Itachi’s hair, not wanting to disturb it. When they pull apart from the chaste kiss his fingers brush against Itachi’s cheek, admiring the smoothness of his skin.

“You know that, no matter what happens, I’ll always be yours, right?” he asks. It’s something he’s said before, but he feels like Itachi needs to hear it again.

“I know,” Itachi nods.

They share another gentle, almost unhurried kiss. It doesn’t feel as if it’s their last, but it feels like the last before an irreversible change: the deep breath before a plunge.

“And I’m yours,” Itachi says. “Every little piece of me.”

Shisui smiles at that, thumbing Itachi’s cheekbone and finding slender, clever hands resting on his back. The warmth radiating from Itachi’s palms is soothing.

“I love every little piece of you,” Shisui murmurs. Itachi gives a huff of amusement at the cheesy line, but welcomes it anyway. He smiles, and Shisui finds himself breathless. He’ll never love anyone the way he loves Itachi, not even if he lives a thousand years.

“Love me later,” Itachi says, his tone shifting a little at a sound from outside. His hand comes between them to push at Shisui’s chest. “Sasuke’s here.”

Right on cue, there’s a knock on the door. With a sigh, tension creeping back into his muscles, Shisui lets go of Itachi.

“No, I’ll go,” Itachi insists, catching Shisui’s wrist as he moves towards the door. He finds a shaky smile to give Shisui, a smile which grows in confidence when Shisui gives him one in return.

And then he’s left alone in the kitchen, hearing the murmur of the two brothers talking and suddenly wondering if he’s added enough tomatoes. Or maybe too many? Perhaps he’s gone overboard. Is there time to add more? Overboard isn’t bad when you’re trying to impress someone and win them over, right? You don’t want to be too subtle. Or do you?

Shisui is distracted from his fretting by Itachi’s reappearance in the kitchen, Sasuke following close behind. He gives the room the same precursory glance any shinobi would, and then gives Shisui a tense half smile. “Hey,” is all he says.

Nevertheless, Shisui gives Sasuke a bright grin, hoping his nervousness is undetectable. “Sasuke! It’s good to see you. How’ve you been?”

Sasuke shrugs, a habit Shisui isn’t sure he’ll outgrow once his teenage years are behind him. “Busy.” His attention lingering on Shisui as he stirs the food to check it’s ready. “Did you cook?”

He doesn’t sound overjoyed at the revelation, and Shisui tries not to be hurt by the reaction. Sasuke is hypercritical of anyone who isn’t Itachi. He always has been, and maybe always will be.

“Shisui offered to give me a break this evening,” Itachi says by way of explanation.

“It’s ready, if you’re hungry” Shisui supplies, hopeful they can do more than hover in the kitchen.

Sasuke glances around again, and clearly sees the small, empty kitchen table they usually crowd around to eat on the rare occasions they all eat at Itachi’s.

“We’re eating through in the other room tonight,” Itachi says.

Sasuke’s eyes narrow, but he says nothing.

“Go ahead,” Shisui encourages. “I’ll bring it through in a moment.”

Thankfully, Sasuke goes, following Itachi from the kitchen and leaving Shisui to have another mild panic over the food he’s prepared. There’s nothing he can do now. It’ll have to suffice. He serves it up, and carries the three generously portioned bowls through to the living room.

The seating is deliberate. Shisui wishes he could sit by Itachi’s side, but they decided that might make the whole thing seem a little too confrontational. They have a side of the low dining table each, Itachi between them, and Itachi is careful not to brush against Shisui as he pours their drinks.

Sasuke, of course, is wise to the subtle anxiety present in the room. He hasn’t even taken his first bite of food before he’s asking: “So what’s this about, then?”

Shisui and Itachi share a glance, and Shisui is surprised to find that Sasuke’s directness brings him some relief. He hadn’t wanted to sit through a tense meal, knowing what was to come. This way it’ll be over with quicker.

He lets Itachi speak. Itachi wants to; he wants to be the one to tell Sasuke.

“There’s something we would like you to know,” Itachi starts, his voice steady but the tightness with which he holds his chopsticks telegraphing his unease to the only two people in the world who can read him. “We haven’t told anyone else yet. We wanted you to be the first.”

“‘We’?” Sasuke parrots, chewing a mouthful of food. Shisui can’t guess if he likes it or not. He seems too distracted to taste it. “As in, you and Shisui?”

“Yes,” Itachi agrees, easing a delicate amount of food between his chopsticks as he prepares to drop the bombshell. “We’re a couple.”

Shisui, not even having bothered to remember the food in front of him once Sasuke had asked his first question, has a front row view of Sasuke’s reaction. The younger Uchiha stills, his eyes going wide, and he chokes a little on air. He flounders for half a moment, and then closes his eyes and gives a resigned sigh.

“So it’s official, then?”

That’s not the exact reaction Shisui expected. He blinks, checking he’s still in the real world with a press of his knee against the sharp corner of the table leg. Nope, definitely real. He looks towards Itachi, hoping for guidance.

Itachi is frowning at his brother. “I thought you would be more surprised.”

Sasuke gives a sharp, derisive snort, turning his attention back to his food and eating with precise movements. “Please,” he snarks. “You think I haven’t known about you two for years?”

“For years?” Shisui echoes, wondering if he’s missed the last five minutes. Saskue is clearly grasping at straws. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and is only pretending to.

Sasuke fixes him with a look so scathing Ibiki would be proud to have him on the interrogation squad. “I’m not stupid.” He looks at Itachi, leaving Shisui free to freak out a little. Inwardly, of course. “Do you think I didn’t realise what you to were up to? All those times you’ve brushed me aside to spend time with Shisui, the way you’d disappear to check on him when he gets back from missions, that time he came back injured and you sat in the hospital for two days waiting for him to wake up?”

Well, that last detail is new to Shisui. He looks at Itachi to see if it’s true. He already knows it is. He’d have done the same for Itachi, and he’s grateful that the worst Itachi ever suffered only required four hours of intensive surgery. He can’t imagine enduring two days of uncertainty. Four hours was more than enough, and that was three years ago, before Shisui had fully realised what he felt for Itachi. His coma, when the medics hadn’t even know if he’d ever wake up again, was about a year after that. Itachi had been there when he woke up, and had said he was just visiting after finishing a mission. Shisui hadn’t had any reason to doubt him.

“Sasuke, we’ve not been together long,” Itachi says, his tone gentle. “Just a few months. No one knows about us.”

Sasuke arches an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”

Itachi falters, looking to Shisui for guidance. Shisui hates that he can’t give it. Until Sasuke’s reaction he would have bet on no one knowing about them, but now he’s not so sure. They haven’t been that obvious, have they?

“This doesn’t mean you’re going to start doing gross couple in front of me does it?” Sasuke suddenly asks, looking worried. Shisui almost laughs.

Itachi, however, has an altogether more down-to-earth reaction, and looks a little saddened. “Would you really mind if we did?”

His sincerity catches Sasuke off-guard, and Sasuke wavers, considering his brother’s words. He looks down at his food, and forces a shrug. “No, guess not.”

“Thank you,” Itachi breathes, reaching out to touch his brother’s hand. “Your acceptance means a lot to me – to us. That’s why we wanted you to be the first person we told.”

“Do you really think others know about us?” Shisui worries. He’s never heard any rumours, or been asked about it, and if there were rumours he would have heard about, without a shadow of a doubt.

Sasuke takes a moment to reply, taking another mouthful first. “Well, if they’re not stupid they can guess. You two scream ‘mutually exclusive’ with everything you do.”

Itachi looks a little pale. “Mother and father…?”

Another shrug. “Don’t know. If they’ve worked it out they don’t seem to care. Are you going to tell them?”

“Yes, that’s the plan,” Itachi confirms.

Sasuke stiffens a little. “You really are serious?”

“We are,” Itachi says gently.

Shisui wonders why Sasuke looks sad as his attention falls to the table. “Are you going to get a formal union?”

It’s something they haven’t really talked about, but they both know they want. It seems too much to hope for when they’re not even certain of how their relationship will be received by those who have the power to alter and end it.

“If the clan approve, yes.”

Shisui’s heart twists at Itachi’s words, his unseeing gaze falling to his barely touched food. It all sounds so far-fetched. They are completely at the mercy of others, and the idea of the Uchiha clan blessing a same-sex partnership – involving the clan heir, no less – is so implausible Shisui feels for the first time the magnitude of what they’re up against. It didn’t bear thinking about before. Generations of tradition dictate how they should live their lives. Why would that change, just for them? Because they love each other? Shisui can’t see the strength of tradition bowing for something so trivial in the grand scheme of things.

“And if they don’t?”

Sasuke’s question leaves a heavy silence bearing down on them, and when neither Shisui nor Itachi can bring themselves to speak, to face up to the unpleasant outcome all but staring them in the face, Sasuke continues.

“You know, you could just do it anyway. What could they do about it then?”

And there’s the rebellious streak that’s entirely absent from Itachi. If he’s honest, Shisui considered and then discarded the idea. It wouldn’t feel right. But Sasuke does have a point, and his words hint at a level of support on his part that Shisui and Itachi hardly dared hope for. It’s that, or he’s trying to sabotage Itachi’s relationship with their father and the clan. Shisui doesn’t believe that, though. Sasuke loves and admires his older brother. He couldn’t betray Itachi like that.

“I would attest to your relationship,” Sasuke challenges. “I’m sure you know someone else who would do the same, Shisui.”

“I, uh…” Shisui stammers, caught off-guard. None of his friends know. They’ve only just told Sasuke and he’s already planning their secret union ceremony.

“We want to do this properly,” Itachi reminds Sasuke. “We’ll tell mother and father next, and then, depending on what they say…”

Sasuke is clearly unimpressed, and tuts. “You’d leave each other if they told you to?”

“We’d do what is right,” Shisui tells him.

Sasuke groans. “You two deserve each other.” A moment later he rounds on Shisui, chopsticks pointing again. “Itachi’s too good for you.”

“Oh, believe me, I know,” Shisui promises, earning himself a scowl from Itachi.

“What did we say abou—?”

Sasuke clears his throat. “Are you done? Can we finish eating now?”

Shisui and Itachi have barely started. They share a look, relief and understanding passing between them, and then Itachi gives Sasuke a soft, genuine smile.

“Thank you, Sasuke.”

Shisui knows he shouldn’t be surprised when the response Itachi gets is a shrug. With a ghost of a smile tugging at his own lips, he turns back to his food. The next step is far closer, and harder to imagine facing, than it had been before, but for now he doesn’t need to worry about that. For now, he and Itachi have the support of the person whose opinion means the most to them, and that’s enough.

Later, when the meal is over and Sasuke thanks Shisui, complimenting his cooking… Well, Shisui knows that anything is possible.

**Author's Note:**

> I am now, with my 3 hours of sleep in the last 2 days, going to sleep :D  
> (Wish me luck for tomorrow's fic!)


End file.
